Disabled man slams 'shambles' as Aer Lingus plane takes off from UK airport without him

Andy Allen said he was told his luggage was being offloaded and he would not be flying

A disabled member of the Northern Ireland Assembly has described a "shambles" after being unable to board a plane. Andy Allen had been travelling from Birmingham home to Belfast at the weekend when his Aer Lingus plane left without him.

He has contended the assistance he needed to board the plane in his wheelchair did not come. There were widespread expressions of solidarity with Mr Allen at the Stormont Assembly on Monday.

He missed asking the first question to First Minister Michelle O'Neill during questions to the Executive Office. Ms O'Neill described the UUP MLA as having been "stranded at an airport in England due to not having accessible services".

"Airlines and every other service need to do better to support those people with additional needs," she told MLAs. Earlier, during Members' Statements, UUP MLA Robbie Butler said it was "quite frankly outrageous that in 2024, basic rights and access that most of us take for granted are still denied to disabled individuals". He added: "This is a stain on those who profit from their activities whilst neglecting the responsibility to all of their customers."

Taking to the social media network X on Sunday, Mr Allen branded the incident as a "shambles". Mr Allen, a former soldier, has been using a wheelchair since he was seriously injured while he was serving in Afghanistan at the age of 19 in 2008.

He told the BBC that he had been due to get on an Aer Lingus flight to Belfast City Airport on Sunday, but could not board. He said that he sat on the apron ready to depart and was later informed that there was a request for his luggage to be taken off the plane and that the plane was leaving without him.

Mr Allen was accommodated in a hotel for the night and is due to fly home on Monday. He said he wanted to speak out to highlight issues in travel for disabled customers and said it must be improved.

"In society as a whole there are things that need to be improved for disabled people, to ensure disabled people can play a full part in society and we aren't prevented from being able to do so - whether that is accessing a building, going up in a lift or evacuating a building in a safe way," he told the BBC.

"It's devastating. How many other people have experienced it that haven't felt they've been able to speak, that's why I felt it was important to call it out." He added: "I'm not asking for special treatment, just a level playing field."

Responding, Aer Lingus said the flight was operated by Emerald Airlines, which has contacted the customer directly to offer a "heartfelt apology" and started a full investigation into the incident.

"We sincerely apologise to this customer for the experience they had while travelling with Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Emerald Airlines," a spokesperson said.

"Aer Lingus recognises the challenges faced by customers with disabilities and we are committed to doing all we can to assist all customers who require additional support. Emerald Airlines has reached out to the customer directly to offer a heartfelt apology for this incident and have commenced a full investigation."